Staffordshire Probate Records: Difference between revisions

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Probate Records

Getting Started

Probate is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. Probate records include wills and administrations. This article is about probate records in Staffordshire. See England Probate Records for a general description of probate records in England.

1858 to the Present

Beginning in 1858, the Principal Probate Registry had the authority for probating estates. Click on the link to learn more.

Online Records

1858-1957 England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
1858-1995 England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 at Ancestry($); index
1858-2019 England & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1858-2019 at Findmypast($); index

Before 1858

Before 1858, Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process. To search for a pre-1858 probate record in Staffordshire, follow these steps:

Step 1. Search Indexes

Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Staffordshire.

Start with:

1518-1858 Diocese of Lichfield and Coventry, England, Indexes of Wills and Probate, 1518-1858 at Ancestry — index ($)
1521-1860 England, Staffordshire, Dioceses Of Lichfield and Coventry Wills and Probate, 1521-1860 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; indexes & images; Also at Findmypast, ($)

Also check:

An index for 1630-1780 for Staffordshire covering 23000 plus probate documents can be found at Will and administrations
A general will index for the Diocese of Lichfield, a scanned edition of P.W. Phillimore's publication by the British Record Society in 1892,Calendars of wills administrations in the consistory court of the bishop of Lichfield This single index consolidates most Staffordshire wills of the various probate court jurisdictions from 1514-1652 for the Diocese of Lichfield and to 1790 for Staffordshire smaller peculiar courts.
The Manor of Sedgley has online indexes listed under the Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Sedgley below.
Index of Wills at Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies (downloadable PDF file)

Printed Indexes

Lichfield wills and administrations, 1516-1652 : also "peculiars" at Lichfield, Birmingham and Derby, 1529-1652; 1675-1790; 1753-1790, found in Index Library(see above for online copy of book) volume 7. FS Library British book 942 B4b vol. 7.

Wills in the Consistory Court of Lichfield : 1650-1700 editor Cliff Webb found in Index Library vol. 125. FS Library British book 942 B4b vol. 125.

The Smethwick Local history Society has published the Probate inventories of Smethwick residents, 1647-1747 : in the Lichfield Joint Record Office.

Probate Calendars

Registered wills and original wills, administrations and inventories, 1494-1860, and, act books, 1532-1638 for Diocese of Lichfield Episcopal Consistory Court. [1] These are calendars. They cover most of the county of Stafford.

Did you find a reference to a probate record?

If yes, go to Step 4 below.
If no, go to Step 2 below.

Step 2. Identify when and where your ancestor died

Determine when your ancestor died. If you aren't sure, use an approximate date.

Determine where your ancestor died. It is easier to find a probate record if you know the parish where your ancestor lived or died. To learn the parish for the place where your ancestor died, look the place up in a gazetteer (topographical dictionary). Here is a link to the 1872 Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales online: Vision of Britain

The gazetteer will either tell you:

A place is a parish, or if not--
What parish it is in

Once you have identified the parish, go to Step 3.

Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish

Once you have identified the parish where your ancestor lived or died, learn which courts had jurisdiction over it by clicking on a link below for the letter the parish begins with. Once you find the parish you want in the list, you can click on the court listed to go to a page that will help you find the records for that court.

A

B

C-G

H-L

M-S

T-Z

Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record

Once you have found an index reference to a probate, obtain a copy of the record. Do so by one of these methods:

Staffordshire England Probate Records(*) at FamilySearch Catalog - some images may only be available at a FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.
Visit or contact the record office that has the original records in its collection.

Staffordshire Probate Courts

The following probate courts had some jurisdiction over the county of Staffordshire prior to 1858; note that most of Staffordshire was covered by its largest court jurisdiction, called--the Court of the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry (Episcopal Consistory), but the county also had numerous concurrent smaller jurisdictions called "peculiars" (see the "Staffordshire Court Jurisdictions By Parish" section above to determine the correct court jurisdiction for the parish in which you may be searching for a will):

Some Explanatory Notes on the Courts in Staffordshire

Records and indexes for each court are also available in the collection of the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City. Search the Catalog/frameset_fhlc.asp FamilySearch Catalog for the title of the court or the court as an author.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[England]]&nbsp;[[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[Staffordshire]]
+{{Staffordshire-sidebar}}{{breadcrumb
+| link1=[[England Genealogy|England]]
+| link2=[[Staffordshire, England Genealogy|Staffordshire]]
+| link3=
+| link4=
+| link5=[[Staffordshire_Probate_Records|Probate Records]]
+}}
-For an explanation of probate records in England, click [[England Probate Records|here.]] [Page is under Construction]
+== Getting Started  ==
-== Getting Started  ==
+''Probate'' is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. Probate records include [[W genealogical glossary terms|wills]] and [[A genealogical glossary terms|administrations]]. This article is about probate records in Staffordshire. See [[England Probate Records]] for a general description of probate records in England.
+=== 1858 to the Present  ===
-''Probate'' is the legal court process by which the estate of a deceased person is distributed to his or her heirs. The Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process until to 1858. Beginning in 1858, authority over probate matters was taken from ecclesiastical courts and put under the civil authority of the Principal Probate Registry. The Post-1857 Probate Records section below contains links to additional information about the records of this court.
+Beginning in 1858, the [[Principal Probate Registry|Principal Probate Registry]] had the authority for probating estates. Click on the link to learn more.
-To look for a probate record before 1858:<br>
+==== Online Records ====
-#Discover when and where your ancestor died. If you don’t know, use the approximate date and place where they lived. <br>
+* '''1858-1957''' [https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2451051 England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1957] at FamilySearch - [[England and Wales, National Index of Wills and Administrations - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]; index & images
-#Go to [https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Staffordshire_Probate_Records#Court_Jurisdictions Court Jurisdictions] section below.<br>
+* '''1858-1995''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1904 England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995] at Ancestry($); index
-#Click a letter or span of letters for your place name. This opens a jurisdictions table.<br>
+* '''1858-2019''' [https://search.findmypast.com/search-world-records/england-and-wales-government-probate-death-index-1858-2019 England & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1858-2019] at Findmypast($); index
-#Follow the instructions on the jurisdictions table page.<br>
-&nbsp;
+=== Before 1858  ===
-== Staffordshire Probate Courts  ==
+Before 1858, Church of England ecclesiastical courts had authority for this process. To search for a pre-1858 probate record in Staffordshire, follow these steps:
-The following probate courts&nbsp;had some jurisdiction over the county of Staffordshire prior to 1858; note that most of Staffordshire was covered by&nbsp;its largest court jurisdiction, called--the Court of the Bishop of Lichfield (Episcopal Consistory), but&nbsp;the county also had numerous concurrent smaller&nbsp;jurisdictions called "peculiars" courts as well (see the "Staffordshire Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions" section below to determine the correct court jurisdiction for the parish in which you may be searching):
+==== Step 1. Search Indexes  ====
-*[[Episcopal Consistory Court of Lichfield|Court of the Bishop of Lichfield (Episcopal Consistory)]]
+Here are some online indexes to probate records that include individuals who lived in Staffordshire.
-*[[Court of the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of Lichfield]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of Alrewas and Weeford]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of Burton on Trent]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of Colwich]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of Eccleshall]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Gnosall]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of Hansacre and Armitage]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of High Offley and Flixton]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of Longdon]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of Penkridge]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Prebend of Prees or Pipe Minor]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Sedgely]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of Tettenhall]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of Whittington and Baswich]]
-*[[Court of the Peculiar of Wolverhampton]]
-<br>In addition, the [[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]] held jurisdiction&nbsp;over England&nbsp;including both&nbsp;provinces,&nbsp; York and Canterbury. Mostly the wealthy but occasionally from among&nbsp;even those of modest&nbsp;means&nbsp;who owned property in more than one&nbsp;diocese or smaller&nbsp;court jurisdictions, as well as Royal Naval personnel--often had their estates proven through the Archbishop's court.
+Start with:
-=== Appeals Courts  ===
+*'''1518-1858''' [https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62295/ Diocese of Lichfield and Coventry, England, Indexes of Wills and Probate, 1518-1858] at Ancestry — index ($)
+*'''1521-1860''' {{RecordSearch|3491898|England, Staffordshire, Dioceses Of Lichfield and Coventry Wills and Probate, 1521-1860}} at FamilySearch — [[England, Staffordshire, Dioceses Of Lichfield and Coventry Wills and Probate - FamilySearch Historical Records|How to Use this Collection]]; indexes & images; ''Also at [http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search-world-Records/staffordshire-dioceses-of-lichfield-and-coventry-wills-and-probate-1521-1860 Findmypast], ($)'' <br>
-There were two appeals courts within the Prerogative Court of Canterbury which heard disputes over the administration or probate of an estate. They were the:
+Also check:
-*[[Court of Arches]] which held jurisdiction&nbsp;over 13 parishes in the City of London and concurrent jurisdiction over the whole of the&nbsp;provinces of York and Canterbury&nbsp;(records are at Lambeth Palace Library, London).&nbsp;
+*An index for 1630-1780 for Staffordshire covering 23000 plus probate documents can be found at [https://www.staffsnameindexes.org.uk/default.aspx?Index=C Will and administrations]
-*[[High Court of Delegates|High Court of Delegates]] or sometimes known as the Court of Delegates, also heard appeals cases regarding probates and administrations.
+*A general will index for the Diocese of Lichfield, a scanned edition of P.W. Phillimore's publication by the British Record Society in 1892,[http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=4zYEAAAAIAAJ ''Calendars of wills administrations in the consistory court of the bishop of Lichfield'']''  ''This single index consolidates most Staffordshire wills of the various probate court jurisdictions from 1514-1652 for the Diocese of Lichfield and to 1790 for Staffordshire smaller peculiar courts.
+*The Manor of Sedgley has online indexes listed under the Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Sedgley below.
+*[http://www.wolverhamptonhistory.org.uk/resources/indexes Index of Wills at Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies (downloadable PDF file)]
-== Some Explanatory Notes on the Courts in Staffordshire<br> ==
+==== Printed Indexes  ====
-Records and indexes for each court are also available in the collection of the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.&nbsp; Search the [http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FHLC/frameset_fhlc.asp Family History Library Catalog] for the title of the court or the court as&nbsp;an author.&nbsp; <br>
+Lichfield wills and administrations, 1516-1652&nbsp;: also "peculiars" at Lichfield, Birmingham and Derby, 1529-1652; 1675-1790; 1753-1790, found in Index Library(see above for online copy of book) volume 7.&nbsp; FS Library British book 942 B4b vol. 7.
-== Probate Records<br> ==
+Wills in the Consistory Court of Lichfield&nbsp;: 1650-1700 editor Cliff Webb found in&nbsp;Index Library vol. 125. FS Library British book 942 B4b vol. 125.
-REGISTERED WILLS 1516-1771
+The Smethwick Local history Society has published the&nbsp;''Probate inventories of Smethwick residents, 1647-1747&nbsp;: in the Lichfield Joint Record Office.''<br>
-ORIGINAL WILLS &amp; ADMINISTRATIONS 1527-1857
+==== Probate Calendars  ====
-INVENTORIES 1527-1857
+Registered wills and original wills, administrations and inventories, 1494-1860, and, act books, 1532-1638 for Diocese of Lichfield Episcopal Consistory Court. {{FSC|309060|title-id|disp=}} These are calendars.&nbsp; They cover most of the county of Stafford. <br>
-ACT BOOKS 1532-1638
+<br>Did you find a reference to a probate record?
-== Probate Indexes  ==
+*If ''yes'', go to '''Step 4''' below.
+*If ''no'', go to '''Step 2''' below.
-Before&nbsp;looking for a will, you should search an index.
+==== Step 2. Identify when and where your ancestor died  ====
-=== Online Indexes  ===
+Determine ''when'' your ancestor died.&nbsp;If you aren't sure, use an approximate date.&nbsp;
-A general will index for the Diocese of Lichfield exists online, a scanned edition of P.W. Phillimore's publicationby the British Record Society in 1892,[http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=4zYEAAAAIAAJ ''Calendars of wills administrations in the Consistory court of the bishop of Lichfield'']''.&nbsp; ''This single index consolidates most&nbsp;Staffordshire&nbsp;wills of the various probate court jurisdictions&nbsp;from 1514-1652 for the Diocese of Lichfield and to 1790 for Staffordshire smaller peculiar courts.''&nbsp;''
+Determine ''where'' your ancestor died. It is easier to find a probate record if you know&nbsp;the parish where your ancestor lived or died. To learn the parish for the place where your ancestor died, look&nbsp;the place&nbsp;up in a gazetteer (topographical dictionary). Here is a link to the 1872 ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' online:&nbsp;&nbsp; [https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/ Vision of Britain]
-=== Printed Indexes  ===
+The gazetteer will either tell you:
-See the above online indexes available at Google.books which is copy of a printed will index for Staffordshire.
+*A place is a parish, or if not--
+*What parish it is in
-The Smethwick Local history Society has published the&nbsp;''Probate inventories of Smethwick residents, 1647-1747&nbsp;: in the Lichfield Joint Record Office.''<br>
+&nbsp;
-<br>
+Once you have identified the parish, go to '''Step 3'''.
-== Staffordshire Parishes and Their Probate Jurisdictions <br> ==
+==== Step 3. Identify court jurisdictions by parish  ====
-Before 1858, most Staffordshire parishes came under the major probate court jurisdiction of the Court of the Bishop of Lichfield (Episcopal Consistory). A few parishes came under the direct jurisdiction of secondary or peculiar courts.&nbsp; When looking for the will of an ancestor, you should search the courts in the order given.&nbsp;For&nbsp;an authoritative treatise on&nbsp;each Staffordshire probate court and the parishes&nbsp;comprising them in pre-1858, see Anthony J. Camp's publication,&nbsp;''Wills and Their Whereabouts''; also available at&nbsp;the Family History Library, FHL&nbsp;book call [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=413992&disp=Wills+and+their+whereabouts%20%20&columns=*,0,0 #942 S2wa].&nbsp;Search indexes first.&nbsp; For indexes, click on the court name links above [soon to be constructed]. When looking for the will of an ancester, you should search the courts in the order given.&nbsp; Search indexes first.&nbsp; For indexes, click on the court name links above.
+Once you have identified the parish where your ancestor lived or died, learn which courts had jurisdiction over it by clicking on a link below for the letter the parish begins with.&nbsp; Once&nbsp;you find the parish you want in the list, you can click on the court listed to go to a page that will help you find the records for that court.
-Here&nbsp;are links to&nbsp;an alphabetical&nbsp;list of Staffordshire parishes containing a prioritized list of courts with jurisdiction over each.&nbsp; To see which courts to search for probates of persons living in or owning property in particular parish, click on the letter the parish name begins with.
+&nbsp;
-{| cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="200" border="1"
+{| width="306" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="1" style="width: 306px; height: 25px"
 |-
-| [[Staffordshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with A|A]]
+| [[Staffordshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with A|A]] &nbsp;
-| [[Staffordshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with B|B]]
+| [[Staffordshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with B|B]] &nbsp;
 | [[Staffordshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with C through G|C-G]]
 | [[Staffordshire Probate Jurisdictions for Parishes Beginning with H through L|H-L]]
@@ Line 93: / Line 89: @@
 |}
 <br>
+==== Step 4. Obtain a copy of the probate record  ====
+Once you have found an index reference to a probate, obtain a copy of the record. Do so by one of these methods:
+*{{FSC|486788|subject_id|disp=Staffordshire England Probate Records}}(*) at FamilySearch Catalog - some images may only be available at a [https://www.familysearch.org/centers/locations/ FamilySearch Center or FamilySearch Affiliate Library.]<br>
+*Visit or contact the record office that has the original records in its collection.
-== Estate Duty Records<br> ==
+== Staffordshire Probate Courts  ==
-Starting in 1796, a tax or death duty was payable on estates over a certain value. Estate duty abstracts may add considerable information not found elsewhere. Between 1813-1858 estate duty indexes may help locate a will. For more information, go to [[Estate Duty Records]].<br>
+The following probate courts&nbsp;had some jurisdiction over the county of Staffordshire prior to 1858; note that most of Staffordshire was covered by&nbsp;its largest court jurisdiction, called--the [[Court of the Bishop of Lichfield (Episcopal Consistory)|Court of the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry&nbsp;(Episcopal Consistory)]], but&nbsp;the county also had numerous concurrent smaller&nbsp;jurisdictions called "peculiars"&nbsp;(see the "Staffordshire Court Jurisdictions By Parish" section&nbsp;above to determine the correct court jurisdiction for the parish in which you may be searching for a will):
+*[[Court of the Bishop of Lichfield (Episcopal Consistory)|Court of the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry (Episcopal Consistory)]]&nbsp;&nbsp;
+*[[Court of the Dean and Chapter of Lichfield]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Dean of Lichfield]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of Alrewas and Weeford]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of Burton on Trent]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of Colwich]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of Eccleshall]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Gnosall]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of Hansacre and Armitage]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of High Offley and Flixton]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of Longdon]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Pattingham]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of Penkridge]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Prebend of Prees or Pipe Minor]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Sedgely]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of Tettenhall]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of the Manor of Tyrley]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of Whittington and Baswich]]
+*[[Court of the Peculiar of Wolverhampton]]
+*[[Prerogative Court of the Archbishop of Canterbury]]
 <br>
-== Post-1857 Probate Records  ==
+== Some Explanatory Notes on the Courts in Staffordshire<br>  ==
-Beginning in 1858, the government took over the&nbsp;settlement of estates and all&nbsp;wills are now probated through the Principal Probate Registry system.&nbsp; The system consists of 11 district registry offices and&nbsp;18 sub-district registries, located throughout England and Wales, and&nbsp;the principal registry&nbsp;office located in London.&nbsp; The records are available through the office of Her Majesty's Courts Service.&nbsp; To learn more, go to the [http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/infoabout/civil/probate/index.htm HMCS website].
+Records and indexes for each court are also available in the collection of the FamilySearch Library in Salt Lake City.&nbsp; Search the [http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FamilySearch Catalog/frameset_fhlc.asp FamilySearch Catalog] for the title of the court or the court as&nbsp;an author.&nbsp;
-A&nbsp;country-wide surname index to the records is available, so it is much easier to look for post-1857 wills.&nbsp; The [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=208102&disp=Calendar+of+the+grants+of+probate+and+le%20%20&columns=*,0,0 indexes] for 1858-1957 and the [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=authordetails&authorno=301365&name=Great+Britain.+Principal+Probate+Registry&columns=*,0,0 records] for 1858-1925 are available on microfilm at the Family History Library.<br>
+<br>
-<br>
+[[Category:Staffordshire Probate Records]]